The strenght we have together
by Rita C
Summary: Freedom is such a sweet word... when it is shared. Part 3 of the Overcome Series, follows 'But for now emotional ties stay severed' and 'I have nothing to give'


**Disclaimer:** They're not mine, I'm just playing in someone else's sandbox. Promise to return them intact once I'm finished. Compliments will be repeated in front of the mirror, flames will be used to light my cigarettes. Please send them all in.

This is a modern day prison AU.

Lyrics in the title are from Tricky's song 'Overcome'.

**The strength we have together**

by Rita C.

Nasir could clearly see the sun shining brightly through the bars in the window as he slowly collected his meager belongings and handed them over to the guar waiting by the door. He was sure if he closed his eyes, he could actually hear the birds softly singing as a gentle breeze ruffled through the trees. It was going to be a beautiful day.

And it was also the day of his transfer to a different prison facility.

He patiently waited as one of the guards placed him in handcuffs, giving it a sharp tug to make sure they were secure – the cold steel bit into his wrists and Nasir fought the urge to grimace and lash out at the man. This was supposed to be a new start after all, there was no point in holding on to old habits. Next came the shackles on his feet, a chain connecting them to his wrists, making it impossible for him to try anything. Fuck, at that point, Nasir doubted he would be able to walk the short distance outside, let alone make a run for it.

He was reminded somewhat of Hannibal Lecter in 'Silence of the Lambs' – minus the mouth gag but then again Nasir had never been one to get off on cannibalism – and despite the uncomfortableness and the slight pain the whole thing inflicted on his body, part of him couldn't help but feel slightly proud that they thought him to be this dangerous. The wild little dog hadn't been tamed.

The prison director was waiting for him next to the truck that was taking him out of here. Director Oenomaus was an intimidating man, running his prison with an iron fist, but he seemed almost friendly now, a hint of a smile gracing his dark features.

"Have a safe journey Mr. Karim."

He extended his hand, giving Nasir's shoulder a short squeeze before letting go. "Do not forget, this is only a temporary situation. It's what you do with your life after this that will determine the type of man you are." He looked straight into his eyes. "I wish you a peaceful future."

Pleasantries exchanged, the director took a step back and Nasir was taken inside the vehicle, followed closely by one of the guards. He felt a bit graceful that it was Donar taking the ride with him – he was the closest thing he had to a friend in here and it gave him a bit of assurance that he would be the one to escort him to his new life. As they both settled in their seats a voice was heard coming from the front of the van.

"Alright ladies, we have a long journey ahead of us so let's try to keep this as civil as possible. Please keep your arms and hands inside the vehicle at all times and we'll be serving drinks in just a moment."

Nasir looked curiously at the guard sitting in the driver's seat – this was hardly the way things were handled during transport (and he had been in enough of those to know the drill by now) and he fought the urge to smile at the guy's balls. At least, he had a sense of humor.

It still struck him as odd though, when the guy looked back at him through the rearview mirror and winked.

'It can't be.' The thought was left dancing in his head as the driver closed the partition. Soon enough, he started the engine and they were moving.

It didn't take long for Nasir to begin feeling sleepy – he remembered back in the old days, when they drove around town causing mayhem, how they always had him driving, because everyone knew he would fall asleep in seconds when riding shotgun.

The heat inside the closed up truck, the heavy silence between himself and the guard, and the lull of the moving truck soon had him resting his head backwards and closing his eyes. It would do him good to be well rested when they reached their destination – fresh meat arriving at a new facility was always looked upon as an easy target. It was something that Nasir knew well, and he preferred to be in his top shape during those fateful first hours.

Without warning, his mind turned towards Agron. He had been in the yard watching the new arrivals with the others when Nasir had been brought in. He had noticed the bigger man then, the way his eyes had scanned him over, before turning away dismissively. It had irked Nasir then, to be looked upon with such contempt by a man who knew nothing about him.

So it had been no small surprise when that same man had sat down at his table the next day, and begun chatting. It was unnerving and unsettling and it had left him feeling rattled – something he was far from used to. He had sought him out the next day, determined to set things straight and let him know in no uncertain terms that he wasn't an easy piece of ass out for grabs.

But he had been surprised again – and he would find out in years to follow Agron was very good at surprising him – when the bigger man had made it clear that that was not what he was after. That he wished for only what Nasir was willing to offer, even if it was just friendship. Nasir remembered thinking Agron was a puzzle back then, but with the green eyes and the dimples (and the nice shoulders he had noticed when seeing Agron working out in the yard), he was a puzzle Nasir was more than willing to try to solve.

A buzzing sound and the screeching of tires threw Nasir violently back to reality as the truck came to an abrupt stop. Nasir and Donar were both sent flying forward, landing in a heap on top of each other.

"Fuck me!" He tried to reach for his head, felling the blood start to trickle down his face, but the shackles prevented the movement, so he settled for sitting back up. "Are you alright man? Where did that fucking idiot learn to drive?"

Donar gave him a sideways glance before wordlessly telling him to shut up.

The truck's door opened up and sunlight blinded him for a second. He could, however, clearly hear the voice ordering them to get out. Donar's silhouette blocked the sun for a second as the older man stood in front of the door before being roughly pulled out. Nasir took a moment to steel himself before finally getting up to follow him.

He blinked a few times after his feet touched the ground before cautionally looking around. There were three men, one he could recognize as the driver and two others he was sure he had never seen before.

One of them, a built, dark haired man with a snarl gracing his features came towards him, roughly shoving him to the side of the truck. Nasir tensed up, preparing himself for the ensuing fight – he was bound and the odds didn't look too good but he was still going to put up a decent fight. As the man sensed this he gave out a bark of laughter.

Caught up into staring the man down while keeping an eye out for the others, Nasir missed him moving swiftly and was roughly yanked forward by the man pulling on his handcuffs. He instinctively closed his eyes, preparing for the blow, but heard only a 'clank' before his handcuffs fell to the ground. He opened his eyes to see the man smirking.

"You wouldn't have stood a chance, pup."

Nasir snarled at him.

"Crixus! Back down and release him, now!" The man looked back and stared at the driver before facing Nasir again.

"You're on your on." He threw a small key at him before taking a step back and walking away, without sparing him a second glance.

Nasir sat down quietly, taking his time to undo the shackles around his feet, using it to study the situation. The dark haired man had walked back to the other two and they were busying themselves getting rid of their prison uniforms and into civilian clothes.

Looking around, he saw Donar standing to the side, talking to a fourth, taller guy. And Nasir could swear his heart stopped for a second before beginning to pound in his chest. Agron. Somehow he should have known.

He was smiling as he walked towards him and Nasir couldn't help but to smile back, even if in the back of his mind he was getting ready to yell at him for fucking up his life and his hard earned freedom. And then he was standing right there, pulling Nasir towards him, hands tangling in his hair and in his waist as he dropped his head down for a kiss, and Nasir stopped thinking altogether.

It was hard and messy and needy. It was biting teeth and dancing tongues and roaming hands. Desperation they had both felt during the last couple of months melted away at being together again. Everything else could wait.

The truck driver audibly cleared his throat. One of the others made a disgusted sound. Donar whistled at them. Reluctantly they pulled apart, bumping their foreheads together in an affectionate gesture born a long time ago.

"Are you alright?"

"You should have asked him that before shoving your tongue down his throat!" By the laughter that followed Nasir could easily guess Agron had flipped them off behind his back.

"What is this? What are you doing?"

Agron smiled before taking a step back. "We have a lot to talk about and we will. But we need to get out of here first."

Agron walked back over to Donar and extended his hand to the man, pulling him into a hug.

"I'll never be able to thank you for what you did. Whenever and wherever you need me, just say the word and I'll be there."

"Just go and don't get caught."

They exchanged a look before Donar turned to the blond man in the group. "Ok, make it look believable or I'm coming after your ass."

The blond man grinned wickedly before landing a solid punch in his face, causing blood to spurt down his face.

"Fuck! I said make it believable, not break my fucking nose!"

"That was just for kicks man. This is believable." Nasir cringed as Crixus came up from behind Donar with a metal pipe, effectively knocking him out.

"Alright boys, let's go." The truck driver began moving towards the woods, followed quickly by the other two. Agron grabbed his hand.

"Ready?"

All Nasir could do was nod.

There was a car parked in a country road nestled in the middle of the woods, waiting for them. They had all squeezed in uncomfortably and Nasir found himself hoping this wasn't a long drive – it was almost amusing, really, how he still found himself preoccupied with these minor details, given the present situation.

It turned out to be longer than he cared for, since they were keeping mostly to country roads, away from the main urban centers, and he found himself feeling sore and stiff when they finally stepped out of the car and into what seemed like an old warehouse in the more run down part of a quiet little town.

The driver – Spartacus, as he had learned on the way – seemed to be the one running the show, as the others gathered around him as soon as they were inside.

"Ok, here's the drill. We rest here for the night. By now, they know what happened and they should already be out looking for us. Keep the lights and the noise to a minimum. The neighborhood is friendly enough but the last thing we want is to draw any attention. We leave tomorrow at first light and with any luck" – he pointedly ignored the blond man's chuckle – "we'll have you at your destination by early afternoon." He looked directly at Agron then. "Questions?"

He shook his head. "Thank you."

Spartacus look softened somewhat. Nasir knew that look. He had seen it in Agron's eyes whenever he spoke about his brother.

"There is no need. Varro was like a brother to me. What your brother did for him… I will always be in his debt."

The two men shook hands and it seemed to work as a signal that the meeting was over. Nasir watched as Crixus retired to one of the rooms while the blond Gannicus headed out under Spartacus' disapproving look.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find Agron looking at him.

"We should get some rest."

Nasir nodded and wordlessly followed Agron up some stairs and into another room. It had obviously been used before, probably for situations such as this, as it had a cot lying against one of the walls. The blanket looked filthy but Nasir shrugged it off. He had lived in worse conditions before, he wouldn't die from this.

Besides, there were other things pressing on his mind. He turned around to face Agron, taking in a deep breath to calm down and steady himself before opening his mouth.

"You wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?" Apparently, it hadn't worked.

He could see the surprise in Agron's face before it hardened into a scowl. "We broke you out of prison. What the fuck does it look like?"

Their fights while in prison together had been epic, almost as much as their affection towards each other. They were both passionate men, never hesitating to go against the world and even each other when they believed they were right. This was familiar territory.

Nasir's voice was cold when he answered. "I'm not a fucking idiot Agron."

He could see Agron's look soften immediately. "Nasir…"

"What I don't understand is why you would do that when I told you specifically not to. What part of 'Do not fuck up your life' did you not understand?"

The fire was back in Agron's eyes in a second. "_I_ am not a fucking idiot. _I _told you that I would not sit by and drink beer and enjoy life while you rot away in prison. What part of 'You are my life' did _you _not understand?"

The mood instantly changed. Nasir felt all the anger and frustration, all his resolve, go out the window, allowing himself just to feel. Feel for him.

He quickly crossed the distance between them, and pulled on the leather cords Agron had taken to wearing around his neck – a useful prop as far as he was concerned – to pull him down for a kiss.

He could feel Agron's hesitation, still caught up in the intense feel of the fight. It didn't last though, as his hands wound themselves around Nasir's smaller frame to pull him completely against him. He swept his tongue across his lips and Nasir moaned, allowing the kiss to deepen.

Agron's skilled tongue traced the insides of Nasir's mouth, before tangling with his tongue in a battle for dominance neither cared if they lost. Nasir's hands found their way into Agron's short hair, pulling him more firmly against himself. He felt Agron smile against his lips, before he gently tugged Nasir's long hair, pulling his head slightly backwards and staring into brown eyes that were black with lust.

"Fuck, I missed you."

Agron's words were muffled against Nasir's neck and he moaned again, feeling his lover's tongue sweeping a path of fire against his skin. He wanted to tell him that he knew, that he had missed him too, fuck _how he had missed him_, but he settled for letting his body do the talking, allowing his hands to wander down his lover's chest, carefully undoing the buttons in his shirt one by one. As he reached the bottom he stepped slightly back and his hands began their way back up, pushing the shirt to the side, fingertips lightly grazing skin. Agron's own hands grabbing his ass, pushing their hips together, and his low rumbling growl left no doubt that the bigger man appreciated his efforts.

As he reached his shoulders he pushed the shirt back over them, momentarily trapping the older man's arms, leaving him at his mercy. Nasir smiled softly at him, at the way this rough, dangerous man was always so willing to surrender control to him, to put himself at his mercy. The way he trusted him.

He released Agron's arms, letting the shirt fall to the floor, and feeling them immediately going around his waist, before kissing him again.

"Take me to bed."

Agron didn't need any further encouragement. He picked him up effortlessly, allowing Nasir to wrap his legs around his waist and slowly walked them to bed. He sat down gently when he felt his knees bumping the edge of the cot, with Nasir still straddling his waist. Nasir's fingers were idly playing with the skin on Agron's back, feeling the muscles bunching at the slightest touch. He felt Agron's large hands settling between his shoulder blades, before pushing him slightly back and sucking a mark on his neck.

Gently rolling them over and laying Nasir down, he half covered him with his own body before picking up the kiss again. Legs tangled together and that delicious heat building up between them, Nasir felt Agron gently pulling his hair until he no longer could reach his lips. He opened his eyes to find Agron staring straight at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Just… let me look at you. Just for a second. I wanna be sure this is real, not another fucking dream."

Nasir smiled softly before treading his fingers into his hair and scratching softly. It never ceased to amaze him how Agron – no, how _they_, the two of them, together – could so easily go from raw lust and need to the most tender of moments and back again. He lifted himself up slightly, just enough to put his lips against his lover's ear, allowing his breath to tickle him slightly.

"I'm here. I'm real."

He lay back down, enjoying the look of pure awe in Agron's eyes slowly morphing into something far more primal. He slightly pulled on the leather cords adorning his lover's neck.

"Come here."

It was still mostly dark outside, even if the morning was beginning to announce its impending approach by slowly coloring the night sky with pale streaks of light blue, orange and pink. Agron woke up slowly, still lingering with the effect last night's long hours had on him, smiling slightly at the memory, his arms immediately reaching towards something that was not there. He opened his eyes.

Nasir was sitting cross legged by the foot of the bed, watching him.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's creepy to stare at someone who's sleeping?"

Nasir shrugged. "You call it creepy, I call it cute. It's all in the perspective."

Agron narrowed his eyes. "I'm not cute."

Nasir took a long drag of his cigarette before placing it on the floor and snuffing out the butt with a shoe. "Yes, you are. You think you're scary and intimidating but you're not. You're cute."

Agron reached a long arm in his direction, curling his fingers in an invitation. "Come here then. Let's put your money where your mouth is."

"I think my mouth has already been there numerous times." He smiled as Agron burst out laughing, before taking his large hand and holding it in his own. "Not so fast though. You said we'd talk."

Agron sighed but seemed to take the hint, sitting up more fully. "Ok then. I talk, you listen and afterwards… who knows?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Nasir laughed again. "That works. Talk."

"Well, after you told me they denied your parole I started thinking."

Nasir snorted. "That's never a good thing."

"Hey! I talk, you listen. Now sush."

"Sorry." He mimicked zipping up his mouth and sat back.

"Like I was saying, I started thinking. I knew I couldn't leave things as they were, I had to come up with something. So, when you told me about the transfer I saw an opportunity. I made a few phone calls and called in some favors."

"Spartacus and the others?"

"Spartacus had a friend named Varro, who used to do some odd jobs with my brother. Duro saved his life once and was there when he died. He always said that if we ever needed anything he'd be there."

"A man of his word."

"He is. One of the most honorable I have ever met. He was the one to come up with the plan and arranged for a way to replace the driver of your van."

"What happened to the real guards?"

Agron looked straight into his eyes. "Does it matter?"

Nasir pondered the question for a moment. Even if they were dead, if these people, if Agron, had killed them only to be able to get to him, did it really make a difference? The gods alone knew he had done far worse for far less compelling reasons. He shrugged.

"Not really."

Agron seemed to relax at that, as if Nasir's understanding was more important to him than any other possible consequence. Nasir allowed him that moment before picking up the conversation again.

"And Donar?"

Agron furrowed his brow. "We needed someone on the inside, to take care of a few minor details. I took a chance with him. He came through."

"That was a big chance."

"The payoff was worth it. Donar is a good man."

Nasir stared straight at his lover, letting his voice soften. "He is."

He looked towards the small window where the rapidly brightening sky signaled the approach of another hot day. "We should be getting ready to leave."

Agron shook his head. "I believe the deal was that we'd talk and then there would be some sort of… compensation."

Nasir tried to put forth his hard and menacing look, although he was pretty sure it came out as wanting. "I doubt we have time for that."

Agron moved swiftly, pulling back the hand that was still in Nasir's grasp, effectively bringing the younger man towards him. "We better hurry then."

Nasir went willingly.

It was well past sunrise when they finally settled back inside the car, minus Gannicus, who was still not back from last night's celebration.

"He can find his way around. We need to get moving." Spartacus' voice had a hint of resignation, letting the others know this wasn't the first time he had disappeared after a job done.

The landscape was monotonous as hell and even Agron's constant bickering with Crixus lost its thrill after a while, so Nasir allowed himself to close his eyes.

It seemed as though he had just drifted off when he felt the car stopping and Agron's gentle nudge.

"Wake up sleeping beauty. We're here."

'Here' was a small, dusty airstrip in the middle of nowhere. He could see the ocean in the distance and a small, shiny airplane with a brunette woman standing next to it, whom Crixus was currently holding in a tight hug.

'Well, that explains his increasing humor this morning.'

Agron came to stand next to him as he climbed out of the car. "So, what do you think?"

Nasir looked at him, wrinkling his eyes because of the brightness of the midday sun. "I'm starting to think there's an actual plan here and we're not just going on a whim."

Agron laughed before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the plane.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

Nasir stopped, forcing Agron to stop as well and look back at him. "You know I don't like surprises."

Agron moved towards him, slowly but surely placing a hand against his cheek. "You'll like this one, I promise."

Nasir took a step back and looked around, at the small plane, at Crixus holding the woman lovingly against his side as he spoke to Spartacus, at the ocean shinning away in the distance. He looked back at Agron, this ferocious man whom he had met in the worst of circumstances, who had loved him and risked everything for him. He smiled.

"I already love it."


End file.
